Putnam County Fire Chief Gives Heating Safety Tips For Residents

Heating related fire calls are the most common the Putnam county fire department receives during the winter months.

Fire Chief Tom Brown says one of the main causes are space heaters.

“The big thing with space heaters is they need plenty of clearance around them, you don’t need anything close to them. They should be plugged directly into the wall, they should never be plugged into an extension cord or a plug strip or anything like that.”

He adds that all space heaters come with a set of instructions explaining the distance flammable objects should be from them.

“As far as wood heat, clean chimneys is a priority depending on the wood stove. Some chimneys need to be cleaned two to three times a year just depending on what type of wood stove and the condition of the wood. It’s just maintenance.”

So far this year, the department has responded to three chimney fire calls.

For gas heat, he suggests to make sure it gets checked by a technician at least once a year.